The Taste of Charleston Festival, featuring 50 area restaurants, offers up everything from Cajun chicken and roasted red pepper pasta to scrumptious seafood and Mexican wraps. The top chefs from the city cook up a celebration of southern lowcountry cuisine at its finest. The annual festival takes place October 8-10, 2010, and is being hosted by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association. This year marks exactly 30 years since the inception of the popular fall Charleston festival, a favorite of many.

The 30th annual Taste of Charleston, scheduled for October 8-10, 2010, is a three-day celebration of Lowcountry cuisine, hosted by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association. Southeastern Tourism Society has signified the Charleston festival as one of the "Top 20 events in the Southeast" for over 20 years running. With an expected attendance number of more than 10,000 people, you won’t want to miss all that will be going on at this charity fundraising event.

The fun is broken down to three events that dominate the weekend. On Friday, the Taste – Iron Chef Competition pits local chefs against each other in a lively cooking battle similar to the hit TV show. The chefs crank up the burners and cook head-to-head at the Culinary Institute of Charleston’s Palmer Campus, located in downtown Charleston. On Saturday evening, amazing artists are on display at the Taste of the Arts on Gallery Row. The art walk showcases local talent and their artistic masterpieces, all accompanied by scintillating food samplings for local eateries.

The main event, simply called Taste of Charleston, will be held on Sunday at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant. The culinary creations and delectable delights from the best Charleston restaurants will be available for your consumption. Some of the highlights include a Waiter’s Wine Race, an array of specialty and imported beers, and a Kids Corner. While you are feasting on delicious eats, live bands will serenade you on the main stage. This year’s event will also attempt to make history. Dessert enthusiasts will try to create the world’s largest snow cone on-site, hoping to shatter the old World record. Tickets for the Taste of Charleston are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate, and can be purchased online.